Julian Ordaz pulled off not just one but two Mica Mountain miracles in Mesa in the final 60 seconds of regulation in the Open championship game. 

But the Man of the Match, Malachi Huisman, and Sunrise Mountain weren’t about to relinquish something they fought so hard for during the first 79 minutes Monday night. Huisman kept Mica Mountain from completing one of the greatest comebacks in Arizona boys soccer championship history with only 22.2 seconds left in the first overtime.

The senior’s final goal of the match handed his Mustangs a wild 4-3 championship victory that was almost snatched from their grasp.

With just over a minute remaining, Sunrise Mountain’s student section started chanting, “Start the busses.” 

But a stubborn Mica Mountain wasn’t prepared to make the long drive back to Tucson just yet, not with the wheels on Ordaz. One of the state’s most dangerous players in space, Ordaz’s speed left Sunrise Mountain’s defense spinning in a span of less than 30 seconds.

Desperation can force a player to do some special things while trailing 3-1 in a final, and Ordaz did just that. The attacking midfielder sped by defenders on the left side of the box with just 60 seconds left to score his team’s second goal.

Then, a mere 26.1 seconds later, came the goal that really left everybody in disbelief in Mesa’s stadium. The fleet-footed No. 10 once again worked the left side, this time just outside the box to find just enough space to tuck a 23-yard shot into the right side of the net to remarkably tie the match.

The Mica Mountain fans, needles to say, then went bananas. 

“To be down 3-1 and not quit, it just shows you what these kids are made of,” Mica Mountain coach William Perty said. “The way they were raised by their parents and the community that they come from, there’s a no quit attitude. I can’t be any more proud of them. That was probably one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of as a coach or a player." 

There’s was not quit in Mica Mountain Monday. (Jose Garcia photo/AZPreps365)With all the momentum in the world, Ordaz came close to stunning Sunrise Mountain a third time.  

But his direct blast struck the crossbar in the first 10-minute overtime. Sunrise Mountain, for the most part, dictated the pace of the match and finally started doing so again near the end of the first overtime.

The Mustangs’ efforts were rewarded when sophomore Haris Sutkovic attempted what seemed like a pass with four defenders around him. Surrounded by defenders as well, Huisman then quickly one-timed it to the upper left part of the net from 14-yards out. 

Malachi Huisman finished with two goals and an assist to claim MVP honors. He celebrated with family and friends after the game. (Jose Garcia photo/AZPreps365)That’s all they needed to finally put away Mica Mountain. 

“Right when it became overtime, we were like, ‘We controlled this game the whole time,'” Huisman said. “So we knew, starting off overtime, we were going to control the game and putting the goal into the back of the net was just because they worked hard."

The senior forward teamed up with Sunrise Mountain's other top threat, Sayan Hobbi, to score the match’s first goal. 

While Hobbi showed off his footwork to create space to send a through pass, Huisman made a diagonal run toward the goal but then cut around a defender to set up a 1 v. 1 with the goalkeeper in the 20th minute.  

Huisman waited to the last second, until the goalkeeper made a move, before beating him to the near post. Hobbi kept displaying his slick moves during his goal in the 46th minute, when he scored his school record breaking 60th goal of his career. 

“It means so much,” said Hobbi about breaking the record. “When I first came here my freshman year I loved coach (Erik) Anderson and this team. I’ve learned so much over the years. Getting 60 career goals, and I have one more year to go, it’s surreal. It’s an amazing feeling, especially winning this game. That’s the bigger feeling." 

But Sunrise Mountain wasn’t done dazzling while leading 2-1. 

The tall Hayden Stalls curled a shot into the upper right corner with the outside part of his right boot in the 72nd minute from about 19-yards. Mica Mountain tallied its first goal in the 53rd minute during a counterattack. 

Mica Mountain's No. 9, Tate Peele, also is fast and dangerous and got open to set up a clear shot to score after a through pass from the right from Ordaz. 

A two goal lead with eight-plus minutes left seemed safe. 

But Mica Mountain certainly made it interesting in the very final minutes. Despite the loss, the 19-3 Tucson team, in its fifth season as a program, became the first 4A team to play in a tournament that picks the best-of-the-best in 4-6A to compete.   

“Having my sons (Logan, Landon) be a part of the team makes it more emotional,” Sunrise Mountain coach Erik Anderson said. “I’m super excited for the boys and the whole group. In those moments, we’ve prepared (for them). We’ve prepared all season. Having that experience to draw from and been in state championships before, all that stuff helped us respond and be able to come back. Because it definitely takes an emotional toll. In (a minute) they get two goals, and (we) switched off too soon.”

Something special is brewing soccer wise in the Peoria District. 

Sunrise Mountain’s sister school, Liberty, also took home a title in boys soccer this season. The Mustangs (19-3-3) have been building up for Friday’s big moment.

In its first championship appearance, the program lost the 5A final in 2022 and two seasons later as well. But last year, it won its first title and followed that with another first—an Open championship. 

“I feel like nobody really expected us to do this in the Open,” Hobbi said. “We are the 9th seed. We beat Sunnyside the No. 1 seed 3-1 (in the quarterfinals). We beat Brophy (2-0 in the semifinals), and we just won this game. An underdog run to say the least. It’s something we’ll never forget for the rest of our lives."